In the drilling, reworking or production of oil wells, it is often desirable to seal tubing or other pipe in the casing of the well, such as when pumping cement or other fluids down the tubing and force the cement or fluid around the annulus of the tubing or out into a formation. It then becomes necessary to seal the tubing with respect to the well casing and to prevent the fluid pressure of the slurry from lifting the tubing out of the well or for otherwise isolating specific zones in a well. Downhole tools referred to as packers and bridge plugs are designed for these general purposes and are well known in the art.
Packers and bridge plugs frequently use a deformable element such as an elastomeric seal to seal annular areas between concentric tubulars. Unwanted extrusion of such seals is a well known problem for which many solutions have been proposed. There is a need in the art for additional alternatives to prevent unwanted extrusion of such seals.